Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps

The United States Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps perform during a State Arrival Ceremony held on the South Lawn of the White House.

The musicians of this unit recall the fifes and drums from the days of the American Revolution as they perform in uniforms patterned after those worn by the musicians of Gen. George Washington's Continental Army. Military musicians of the period wore the reverse colors of the regiments to which they were assigned. The uniforms worn by the members of the Corps are dated circa 1781, and consist of black tricorn hats, white wigs, waistcoats, colonial coveralls, and red regimental coats. The 69-member Corps uses 10-hole fifes, handmade rope-tensioned drums and single-valve bugles, which bring to life the exciting sounds of the Continental Army.

The Corps at the 58th Presidential Inauguration.

As an official representative of the U.S. Army, the Corps averages over 500 performances annually. The Corps has entertained millions of people in major parades, pageants and historical celebrations throughout the United States; and has served America as a goodwill ambassador as far away as Europe, Australia and Canada. Major sporting events the Corps has performed at include NCAA bowl games, NBA games, NFL games (including Super Bowls), the Kentucky Derby, the Indianapolis 500, and the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York.

In support of the President of the United States, the Corps performs at armed forces arrival ceremonies for visiting dignitaries and heads of state at the White House, and has participated in every presidential inaugural parade since President John F. Kennedy's in 1961. The Corps also performed at the funeral of Kennedy. Today both men and women are members of the unit.

The Corps personnel play fifes, bugles, and drums (snares and basses). Obtaining the instruments posed a challenge, as only a few manufacturers produce historical instruments. A batch of 20 drums were produced in Basel, Switzerland, home to the Carnival of Basel, where a long tradition of marching drums and piccolo flutes is alive.[3] Their fifes were built in Switzerland by Skip Healy of the Healy Flute Company, a professional musician and U.S. ex-pat.[4]

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  The United States Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps thrill an audience with their musical skills while on parade in 2008. The unit recalls the American Revolutionary era by dressing in colonial uniform and tricorn hats.
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  Members of The United States Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps parade on the South Lawn of the White House during a State Arrival Ceremony for Pope Benedict XVI on April 16, 2008.
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  United States Army Staff Sgt. Brian L. Barnhart, a snare drummer with the United States Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps, trails the ensemble down Sheridan Avenue on Fort Myer during a January 9, 2009 rehearsal for then President-elect Barack Obama's upcoming inaugural parade.
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  The United States Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps seen marching down Pennsylvania Avenue during the presidential inaugural parade held on January 20, 2009.
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  A member of the drum corps with a fife.

• Corps of Drums
• U.S. Army Herald Trumpets
• Commander-in-Chief's Guard (3rd Infantry Regiment)

• Abbott James A., and Elaine M. Rice. Designing Camelot: The Kennedy White House Restoration. Van Nostrand Reinhold: 1998. ISBN 0-442-02532-7.
• Clinton, Hillary Rodham. An Invitation to the White House: At Home with History. Simon & Schuster: 2000. ISBN 0-684-85799-5.
• Garrett, Wendell. Our Changing White House. Northeastern University Press: 1995. ISBN 1-55553-222-5.

• Official website